The series that spawned the “One Chicago” universe, “Chicago Fire,”
launched in 2012 and has been one of the most prosperous prime-time
network dramas of the last decade. Airing for more than 10 years,
the show centers on a group of dedicated firefighters who put their lives on the line every week — running headlong into deadly infernos and life-and-death situations. Never pulling any punches, the series effectively portrays the realities of the profession, and the series has seen a dramatic revolving door of characters, with characters killed and injured, or simply walking away as their lives change and evolve.
In the show’s decade-plus run on NBC, it’s lost (and gained) numerous new cast members, but rarely are any two exits the same. Each actor has a different reason for departing: Some might make the decision themselves, looking to find new acting opportunities, while others are the result of writers looking to swing the axe and give the show a new look. Whatever the case may be, audiences are often left wondering exactly what happened and why, so we’re here to shed some light on what led these actors to leave “Chicago Fire.”
Monica Raymund
A member of the show’s original cast, Monica Raymund starred in “Chicago Fire” for its first six seasons. As Gabriela Dawson, Raymund played a paramedic before her character moved on to become a firefighter, proving that the profession doesn’t have to be a boys’ club. But she’s also co-owner of Molly’s, the bar that the crew frequents in their off hours, and sister to Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda), a main character on “Chicago P.D.” During her run on the series, she also marries Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) and dates both Peter Mills (Charlie Barnett) and “Chicago P.D.” star Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer).
With such close ties to the core of the “One Chicago” franchise, it was a surprise for fans when Raymund left the series after Season 6, with Dawson departing the Windy City for the sunshine of Puerto Rico. With no regrets, Raymund says that leaving “Chicago Fire” was her decision, prompted by her desire to move back to the West Coast.
“I’m not sure the exact moment when it happened, but I knew that my six-year contract was coming to an end and I felt like I was hungry to explore a different role, a different story,” she said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “I had been in Chicago for five years and just personally where I was in my life, I was ready to create my home and kind of plant some roots in Los Angeles.”
Annie Ilonzeh
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer is one of the original main cast members on “Chicago Fire.” He joined the show as firefighter Matthew Casey after playing Dr. Robert Chase on the hit medical drama “House,” and quickly became a key reason for the success of the firefighting series. His character even saw a promotion to firehouse captain in its sixth season.
Unfortunately for fans, Spencer was downgraded after Season 10 to recurring guest star, with his character moving to the Pacific Northwest to help the two sons of fallen comrade Andrew Darden. Casey appeared in just two episodes of the following season, but it seems that the character’s move out of the Windy City was prompted not by the writer’s desire to shake up the status quo, but by the actor’s desire to move on to more personal challenges.
“I got married and had a toddler. So things shifted in my life,” Spencer told USA Today in an interview when he returned to the series for a guest-starring spot. Nevertheless, his appearance in a handful of later episodes is a sign that the actor is more than willing to make a return if he can find the time, and Spencer has said that he still has his Halligan prying bar and firefighter helmet on standby.
Taylor Kinney
The original cast of “Chicago Fire” — the roster of regulars who were there when the series began — will be on life support when the series kicks off its 12th season in 2024. And that’s largely thanks to two big recent exits, including Jesse Spencer, but perhaps more notably, longtime series star Taylor Kinney. The former “Vampire Diaries” actor led the cast of “Chicago Fire” as firefighter Kelly Severide from the very beginning, but in Season 11, disappeared, with Kinney announcing a leave of absence from the series.
Though he is credited all season long as a series regular, Kinney only showed up in a little more than half of the show’s 11th season, gone for the final eight installments. The actor has been tight-lipped about why he had to take the time off, while Variety reported that it involved a “personal matter” that required his attention and would prevent him from taking part in the scheduled filming of the entire season. Kinney has announced that he’ll be back at some point in Season 12, but some fans may be wondering if his leave of absence could be the beginning of the end for Severide on the series.
Lauren German
NBC
Headlining “Chicago Fire” alongside Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney when the series debuted was actor Lauren German, in the role of paramedic Leslie Shay. And while for many she was a stalwart presence and one of the biggest reasons to watch early on, German was also one of the series’ first major losses. Shay — in one of the most shocking moments of the series to this day — was killed off dramatically in the Season 2 finale. Her death was the result of a devasting building fire that left her in critical condition, with Severide and Dawson unable to save her life.
Sadly, Shay’s death wasn’t the actor’s choice, but the result of the show’s writers trying to find a way to create some major drama for the end of the show’s second season. The show’s executive producer Matt Olmstead wanted someone to meet their end in the episode, and German drew the short straw. “We went down, one by one …” Olmstead revealed to TV Line. “You’re having to weigh the pros and cons of each one … we gave everybody a day in court. We came back to Shay because it affected the most people.”
Ultimately, Shay’s death probably wasn’t something German was happy to see happen in the script when her time came, but Olmstead says she took the news well, praising her professionalism. “This is what happens sometimes. You mourn it and move on.”
